By Adam Dutton
A blind dog that captured the hearts of animal lovers when a cute video of him went viral is searching for a forever home.
Three-year-old Benedict lost his sight when he developed an infection and vets had no choice but to remove his eyes to save his life.
The adorable German Shepherd is now being cared for by Immingham Dogs Home in north east Lincolnshire.
Centre owner Kelly Magee posted a heartwarming video of Benedict on Facebook showing him jumping up and hugging her.
Despite racking up more than 70,000 views, Kelly says the charity has not received a single application to adopt Benedict.
He is currently staying with a temporary foster family but Kelly and her team are desperate to find him a forever home.
Mum-of-two Kelly, 46, said: “He’s only been with us since November and he went into foster care in January.
“We thought within three months he would be adopted but he hasn’t been.
“I think it’s because how often do you see a dog with no eyes.
“There’s blind dogs all over the place, but I guess it’s very unusual to see them without
eyes.
“As a dog, he’s just a very normal dog.
“He’s had his eyes removed as there was so much pressure on them, pushing them out of his head.
“He had an infection and the pressure was building. They removed one and then the pressure was too much for the other.
“It was just a year-and-a-half ago that he had the operation.”
Since losing his sight, Benedict has learned to follow people’s voices or a bell which helpers ring to guide him.
Kelly, who cares for 36 dogs at the centre, added: “It’s very sad that he hasn’t been adopted yet.
“He deserves a home and has done so well with adapting.
“You can’t meet him and not fall in love with him.
“He’s quite small, he’s more collie size.
“When we first started walking him we noticed he would follow the voices of the people.
“We’ve trained him to follow the bell instead of voices. He’s off the lead with his fosterers now, he’s amazing.
“He’s literally like any other dog, he’s incredible.”
Benedict has not met any cats and would prefer children over 12 years old as he would need a quieter home.
Anyone interested in offering Benedict a forever home can contact Immingham Dogs Home on Facebook.
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